Baltimore police accused of using excessive force in videotaped arrest of woman

Baltimore police accused of using excessive force in videotaped arrest of woman

Video called an "unbelievable escalation of force," police allegedly attempted to destroy evidence

A woman has filed a $7 million lawsuit against the Baltimore Police Department. In the lawsuit she alleges what is being called an “excessive use of force” by officers. The lawsuit is the result of a March 2014 incident when Kianga Mwamba, 36, was videotaping officers arresting a man on the street.

In the video Mwamba is recording from her vehicle with her cell phone. An officer can be heard telling her the light was green and to move her vehicle. That same officer can be heard telling her to park her car if she is going to record.

Another officer from off camera approaches, then can be heard struggling with Mwamba. During the struggle the crackle of a taser gun can be heard. Then the officer can be heard ordering her to “get the F[expletive] out of the car.” After Mwamba is in custody, and as the camera is still recording, the same officer calls her a “dumb B[expletive].”

Mwamba, the daughter of a D.C. Capitol Police officer, was charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer. She later posted bail only to allegedly find the video was deleted from her phone. Her teenage child later found a backed up copy in a cloud app on her phone that backs up all photos and video.

Baltimore prosecutors dropped all charges against Mwamba due to “lack of evidence.” Last week Mwamba’s attorneys filed the lawsuit in Baltimore Circuit Court against the city and the police officers involved in her arrest. The lawsuit claims excessive use of force and destruction of evidence, referring to the alleged destruction of the video by officers.

In a probable cause statement made by the officers, they claim Mwamba accelerated her vehicle at officers. Mwamba’s attorney, Joshua Insley, points out the statement by officers and the video do not match up. “I have no reason to believe anything he [the officer] wrote was correct.” Insley said in an interview with WJZ.

The news of the lawsuit came just hours after Baltimore Police Commissioner, Anthony J. Batts, made an announcement praising the department, and stating that excessive use of force complaints are down 45 percent since 2012. Records indicate since 2012 Baltimore has paid nearly $5.7 million in 102 civil suits where complainants claimed police brutality.

Monday the Baltimore police Commissioner publicly denounced the language on the video as “offensive and unacceptable.” The department released a statement Wednesday saying, “The video does not capture enough information to draw definitive conclusions about what transpired before, during and after the arrest,” adding that the case has been turned over to the state attorney’s office.

The video and lawsuit come during weeks of nationwide protests over several controversial deaths blamed on police brutality. A grand jury failed to indict a police officer in Ferguson, Mo. over the shooting of unarmed teen, Michael Brown. In New York, a grand jury also refused to indict a NYPD officer in the death of Eric Garner. The officer was videotaped by a bystander applying a chokehold to Mr. Garner, who died shortly after.

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